Committee on Foreign Affairs

Subcommittee on Europe

Statement of Rep. Elton Gallegly

April 23, 2008

I would like to thank you Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing on the Bucharest Summit and the future direction of NATO. I only have a short statement because I want to turn the floor over to our two distinguished witnesses to hear their statements.

As we all are aware, there are several important issues facing the Alliance, including the continued enlargement of NATO, its operations in Kosovo, and the deployment of a missile defense system in Eastern Europe.

However, I believe that by far the most critical test for NATO is how it responds to the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Therefore, I look forward to listening to both Assistant Secretary Fried and Deputy Assistant Secretary Fata for their perspective regarding the commitment of our NATO allies to the battle against the Taliban in that country.

There is no doubt the NATO members have publicly and I am sure privately expressed solidarity and strong support for the NATO mission in Afghanistan. I believe they recognize that this is crucial test for the Alliance – a test that is being closely watched not only in the Middle East but by countries throughout the world who are taking measure of NATO and whether it is willing to follow through on its security commitments.

This is test that the Alliance cannot afford to fail. Therefore, I would like an assessment regarding how many years our allies will be with us in Afghanistan and whether they willing to fight and take casualties if necessary to prevent a Taliban victory. I would also like to know if the people of Europe are supportive of their own countries sending troops to fight in Afghanistan. Without public support, the governments of the NATO member states will not be able to sustain a long-term effort to win in Afghanistan.

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on the war in Afghanistan and the other issues impacting the future of NATO.